silph_co | ♞ 001; video;

♞ 001; video;

[ Diego wasn't sure that he really liked the idea of being both powerless and told what to do, it wasn't really his style. What he did like was the fact that awful as the situation seemed there did seem to be quite a few perks that made it worth slogging through his training. No one could ever argue that he wasn't every bit as ambitious as he'd always been...

The video feed is something that he's not used to and it shows with the way that he keeps adjusting his device to get the perfect angle. Finally he settles on a spot, staring silently at the screen before clearing his throat. ]

I won't pretend to know how I ended up here, it seems that even if I did know it wouldn't do much good...

[ He trails off with a click of his tongue, head tilting slightly. Don't get off track, do what you came here to do. ]

...since we're meant to be working together, I thought it might be to my advantage if I got to know the rest of you. My name is Diego Brando, you may also address me as Dio; I was known by both back home and I don't particularly have a preference. Previously I was a jockey, I suppose here that doesn't matter all that much unless my skills are unique in some way but for the sake of transparency I thought it was worth mentioning.

[ A pause as he finally allowed a near smile to grace his lips, an attempt to seem friendlier than he was actually feeling. ]

I would be grateful if there are any suggestions for getting through training, I'm sure given enough time I'll be able to manage on my own but we're all in this together, aren't we?

[ Indulge him, fellow rockets, please. He cuts off the feed immediately after his final statement, now it was just a matter of waiting. Video, text, voice; they were all foreign to him so he won't complain about getting a little practice with any of them. ]

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Uhhh...w...well, training is...definitely simple...

[She blinks. Something seems to have the woman tongue tied for a minute, but she's quick to say what it is.]

But uh...I think I should warn you that you mmmmmaaaaaay have been here before.

Kind of.

Another you. I guess. [HMMMMMBOY THIS SURE IS HAPPENING.]

[ Another him? It wasn't as if it was unheard of to him, but that was a little more than he was willing to confirm or deny right now. At least not until he knew what sort of people he was dealing with.

There was the raise of his brow, mulling it over before he let out a soft huff through his nose. ]

I think perhaps you've mistaken me for someone else, I'm certain I would remember spending time in a place like this...

Mmmmmmnope. Nope, it was definitely you.

See, that's the thing! You wouldn't necessarily remember at all! You're not the first this has happened with. It's...not really common exactly, but at the very least, sometimes when those of us who showed up here with no warning disappear, we come back again! ...Er. With no memory of the last time.

[She shrugs.] I'm not expecting things to be the same. Honestly we didn't really talk much, it was just on a radio entry about the surprise of a zebra and a dog having eggs together. Pokemon are weird!

I will say this though, you have a weird advantage coming in this way instead of the other way...most of us brought here in Team Rocket get our bearings a little faster- and there's so few of us that the important info gets handed over way faster too~

...The fact that you can get half your supplies on company dime doesn't hurt, heheheeeee... [She adjusts her glasses with a conspiratorial grin.] I got my whole wardrobe that way..~

Uh, anyway, at least this way you'll know there's probably people out there who'd recognize you before they know you're here.

A zebra and a dog?

[ New Diego and yet the idea of these two creatures creating something together was still just as shocking. All of the talk of advantages aside there was something else she'd said that caught him even more off guard than he'd expected. ]

Pardon, did you just say eggs? A zebra and a dog mated and had eggs together?

[ He couldn't claim to be an expert when it came to animals, but he knew enough about horses to be fairly sure that zebras wouldn't lay eggs. Dogs...no, those were puppies, weren't they? ]

Does it work that way with all of them?

[ The concern about his two current pokémon was suddenly very real. ]

Mmmhmm. Technically known as 'bliztle' and 'growlithe'. But yep! And yep.

And....yep.

Pokemon are grouped into 'egg groups'...but a lot of the ones that look like mammals are in the same one! 'Field'. I'd get the pokedex app on your pokegear running, do a quick check with your pair; being a match doesn't necessarily mean you'll be finding eggs, but better safe than sorry right?

...Oh, now that I mention that though...I wonder if that means someone out there has your other you's pokemon...

That could be really handy if they offer to give those back~!

The ones I have now don't seem to be terribly fond of each other, but once I have a better handle on this equipment I'll check. I'm not sure I much like the idea of them creating something together...

Tell me, what would be the benefit of getting the creatures that belonged to the other me? Would they be more experienced or helpful in some way? It seems to me if we're meant to bond with them, it would be similar to raising someone else's children.

Yes and no?

They'd be more experienced- and also likely to warm up to you quick. You might not be the 'same' Diego, but I can tell just from this that you're not too dissimilar...so there's a good chance anyway.

It wouldn't be the same, you're right, but at the very least they'd be likely to put in their own effort- plus there's a strong chance their alternative is sitting in a digital stasis. We can only have so many pokemon on our person at once- those of us in team rocket at least have the advantage of a dorm space where some of them can stick around...

From a single discussion you can tell that the two of us are similar? Based on what you've told me I could accept that I've been here before and may not remember, but there is a possibility it was another version of me.

I'm not sure if that makes sense when I say it that way, but where I came from it was at least known that there were alternative worlds which meant...well, alternative versions of ourselves.

Either way, I suppose it's still "me" in a sense so it really shouldn't matter but it does to me. How would I go about tracking them down? The ones that might have been handed off to someone else?

Don't worry too much about it, it's my thing. [She's capable of blackmailing a man within 24 hours. Worry about it.]

I'd let them come to you though- after this week, you'll be cleared for training...and at that point, it's about a good time as any to make some kind of public post, or even just poke into other posts. It might be good to wait a bit longer though? It takes more than a week for people who arrive in New Bark to reach Goldenrod- people arriving in Goldenrod...well that brings the suspicions up, since that only happens for one reason. I don't think that reason is common knowledge just yet mind, but it's good to be careful.

I find that whenever someone says not to worry too much about something, that's gives me more than enough cause to do the opposite. For the moment I'm going to assume that's the least of my worries...

Is there anything else I should be aware of? Any more tips that I might not get from someone else?

[ you know, like steven or training ]

Hehehee!

In that case, you have my word that if I use any of my skills in reading people against you, it'll be to make sure you get a good night's sleep and eat healthy~

But honestly I figure I won't have to worry about you for that. Not like others... [She huffs, but apparently she won't be saying who others is.]

Hmmm...in terms of tips...My personal opinion is that you should get comfortable with travelling. Now, if you get those pokemon from that Jonathan guy, you'll probably have a decent time there- at the very least, there's probably a Zebstrika in that group. And even if it doesn't look it, it's probably strong- Mudbray can carry a full tonne! [Wild.]

Every two weeks, we're required to hand in a pokemon over level 15- but here's the thing...

No one asks where you got them at the turn in. And most pokemon to the north? Are over that level. So you can just catch whatever is out there, and hand it in. Travel far enough to open up your channels, and you won't have too much to worry about on the Rocket end. Since there's food and board, that frees up a lot of problems! ...Which means you can focus on whatever you want to actually do. I'm still figuring that out since my last job doesn't really sit right here, but I can at least say I can do it at a decently comfortable pace now. Not a lot can say that...

Others...?

[ It was a quiet musing to himself, Diego closing his eyes and nodding slowly as he rolled those little pieces of information about in his head. ]

Travelling is no issue, I've some experience in regards to that at least. As for handing over the pokémon I don't think I'll have much of a problem with that, not if it affords me the chance to show how capable I can be.

[ He paused again, brow raising slightly as he went over her words again. ]

You mentioned a Jonathan, how might I get in touch with him? The sooner we can connect, the sooner I can sort out whether he has something that might belong to me.

Trust me you'll know him when you see him.

[It's very flat delivery, that line. But, she can't help but be a BIT helpful so...] Look for shades, [she explains, gesturing to her eyes.

That'll be all he needs.] But for Jonathan...I think it might be better to let him come to you, actually- Already knowing about other people here will look a little suspicious- that or they'll assume you're the one that was here before, and then it's just awkward! But it should be as easy as making a public post- that's something everyone would see. Or...

[She pauses, and frowns for a moment. She seems to be looking through something, if the movment of her eyes is any sign.] ...If you follow any other open posts, he might respond to one- I'll tell you what he looks and sounds like, and you'll be able to pull his contact from there~! He's um.

Well honestly he's really recognizable! Kind of a soft voice, but very British, and very polite. Talks a storm, even when he doesn't really have to...

Also he's just huge!! He's over six foot! I think he could take down a machamp in a wrestling match if he wanted, it's insane!

[Ah, another new one. At least he got around to making his own introductions before Steven inevitably tried to do it for him. Lydia's shifting a little as she finds a good angle for the video, making certain her outfit is able to be seen while she's perched on her couch with a perrserker curled up against her side.]

You may yet find a use for those talents, actually. There are horse Pokemon and, from what I've heard, sometimes there's races. Not that we've had any recently. [It's all a ridiculous affair as far as she's concerned, but she only really owns one horse-like Pokemon and it's only because he's a gorgeous, gorgeous creature to show off.]

As for training, just roll with it. The whole thing is stupid because the natives here are dreadfully simple and may as well be the equivalent of a fantasy villain made for children. But the real fun starts after you're done with it, depending on your skill set, darling~

[ He couldn't help that quirk of his brow, watching quietly as she got the angle of her camera situated. ]

Mmm, so from the sound of it the chance of actually using my talents are rather slim, are they not?

[ Perhaps it wasn't so bad; maybe this was a chance to rebuild himself from the ground up, to see if it was possible for humanity here to be better. The natives being simple didn't give him all that much hope, but he offered her an almost pleasant smile. ]

So tell me, what is your skill set? What sort of things can I expect from you?

[ Time to check out his colleagues, give him the information. ]

[Excuse you, Lydia. He's never made anyone's intro video for them. He's only noted down new members in his memos whenever he does them... he should probably do one for July, actually, sooner or later.

ANYWAY, Diego will see a bespectacled, Latino man in his late thirties dressed in business casual, lightly bearded. He smiles pleasantly at Diego--he's got a fairly pleasant air to him in general. It masks his current internal screaming because oh boy, this is definitely some weird horse boy cousin of that DIO and also he'd definitely talked him previously, which he may or may not remember now.]

Hello, Diego. Yes, training is definitely a thing, isn't it? Unfortunately, we all have to go through it, no matter if it's teaching us things we already know or not.

[He'd actually learned a lot from it. He'd never really been a criminal before Team Rocket, outside very normal every-day things like torrenting and having gay sex before the sodomy laws in his state were struck down.]

Ah, my name's Steven Durante. I'm one of the Privates in this crew, along with Carly and Lydia, who you're already talking to. You're right, we are all in this together. If you'd like, we could meet in person and I could go over things that they won't teach you in training, to take as much advantage of the Team's support as possible.

[Hm. He's going to need some sort of welcome present. Wait, the first Diego liked fossils, didn't he? And Steven still has that Claw Fossil he hasn't revived that he found while treasure hunting at Prom.]

[ He let out a huff of breath that almost resembled a soft chuckle, shifting as if he thought he might be able to get a better look at him from his end. If only videos worked that way, he'll adjust. ]

Always best to reiterate things rather than assume that we know how to do everything, even if the whole thing is terribly tedious.

[ He could have been paying attention in his training, truthfully not much of it was sinking in yet and he was just reveling in a second chance at life. ]

I wouldn't be opposed to meeting in person, I'm sure it would be far less troublesome than trying to work this video function. I'm afraid that this sort of equipment is new to me, I'm not adapting quite as quickly as I normally would...

[ Even Diego was aware that he was laying it on thick, but if it gave him some sort of an advantage it would be worth it in the long run. ]

Of course. People come to this world from all eras, so it's up to those of us with more experience with the 'gear to help people who're newer to these kinds of communicators. If you bring yours when we meet up, I can show you some little tips and tricks for yours.

We should do lunch before your training week is over--I can meet you in the mess.

Considering that it seems you're from a more modern era, I certainly would appreciate any sort of tips you have to share with me. Would it be too bold of me to ask if you're available to meet tomorrow or is there another day that would work better for you?

[ The sooner, the better as far as Diego was concerned. ]

Tomorrow should be more than fine, thank you.

[Shall we switch to an actual action post?]

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♞ 001; video;

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Gonna assume this happens on the time stamp for the main post